WEST BATH — Evan Briggs put all he had into all he did.

Whether he was playing sports or helping his folks around the house, the 7-year-old carried a rich and contagious enthusiasm, said his father, Nathan Briggs. Briggs said his son wore a near-constant smile, and “if he was grumpy, then he was just tired.”

“He cared for his fellow students. He really cared for his younger brother. And we loved him,” Briggs said, pausing for a moment to collect his breath. “We really loved him.”

Tuesday marks one week since the boy died unexpectedly at the Bath Area Family YMCA, during which time Briggs said he and his wife, Stephanie Briggs, have hardly slept through the night.

Briggs spoke to the Press Herald on his porch, as family gathered at the house Monday evening; the two-lane driveway was almost full.

“Tomorrow’s a week, and the sun comes up tomorrow, and we have to kind of keep going for him,” Briggs said a few minutes before sunset.

Briggs said he and Evan played “as many sports as we could,” and the boy seemed to approach each of them with equal enthusiasm. The boy had not declared a favorite, Briggs said.

“He wanted to try gymnastics this year,” Briggs said. “We were going to try flag football the day he passed. And we were there all but a minute before he passed away.”

Evan collapsed after making his way from one side of the YMCA’s field to the other, Briggs said, adding that there was “no warning, at all.”

“I was right there, and I wish I could have done more,” he said, wiping pooled tears from his eyes. “But, we can only do so much.”

Days earlier, Evan netted his first goal during a five-on-five soccer game, Briggs said.

“He scored his only career goal,” Briggs said. “He kicked it as hard as he could, kind of off-center. I’ll remember that the rest of my life.”

Briggs said several times that he and his wife want Evan’s memory to live on. The family has started taking donations for an Evan W. Briggs Fund to help support children’s sports, they wrote in his obituary.

Though they have not yet determined how that money will be used, Briggs said they may put it toward programming at the local school or recreation department – something Evan would have been proud to participate in.

“We don’t know yet. We’re kind of taking it hour by hour, day by day, at this point,” Briggs said. “I hope to find something fitting for him. I wish everybody could have met him.”

Last week, the Morse High School boys football team honored Evan with a moment of silence before their Friday night game against the Gray-New Gloucester Patriots. Some players wore “EB” decals on their helmets.

Morse High School football player Garrett Burden wears the decals of Evan Briggs initials along with the rest of the football team while playing in the tribute game against Gray-New Gloucester High School on Friday, Sept. 20. Paul Bagnall/The Times Record

The district solicited donations for Evan’s family at the game and displayed QR codes that linked to a Meal Train set up on their behalf. By Monday night, the Meal Train had raised more than $23,000.

Speaking from the porch, Briggs said parents are never expected to outlive their children. “That’s something I’ll deal with (for) the rest of my life, and so will my wife.”

He spoke over cars that whizzed by on New Meadows Road; the sounds of laughter and a barking dog leaked through their windows. Around him, faux cobwebs wrapped plastic skeletons; string lights and illuminated ghosts and jack-o-lanterns sat dim; inflatable figures pooled in puddles of fabric on the lawn.

Briggs said Evan would help “here and there” with decorating – happy to contribute, even if the holiday wasn’t a particular passion. Briggs said Evan cherished any time with his family.

“We haven’t turned anything on in a long time,” Briggs said. He gestured toward the string lights. “But we hope to again.”

Times Record Staff Writer Paul Bagnall contributed.